While setting up Pandas for local development, I noticed that the current documentation assumes prior familiarity with certain tools and skips a few details that might be useful for new contributors.
Observations:
The prerequisites section does not explicitly mention the recommended Python version.
The instructions could include an example pip install -e . command for editable installs.
A short troubleshooting section for common errors (e.g., missing cython dependency) could save time for first-time contributors.
Proposed Solution:
Update CONTRIBUTING.md to include:
Recommended Python version(s)
Example editable install command
Quick troubleshooting tips for common build/install issues
This would make onboarding smoother for new contributors and reduce repetitive setup questions.
I’d be happy to work on a PR for this if it sounds helpful.
Comment From: asishm
looks like you've opened another issue about this. closing this one.